Seat track



Sept. 10', 1957 c. E. MCCORMICK SEAT TRACK 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 OriginalFiled Oct. 24, 1946 INVENTOR. aux 1556 McCae/v/q' 76 wpfua Sept. 10,1957 C. E. M CORMICK SEAT TRACK 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Oct. 24,1946 nm a mwhmplvh p 1957 c. E. MCCORMICK SEAT TRACK 4 Sheets-Sheet 3Original Filed 00%.. 24, 1946 M mm 4 ma w m w ,r m f C NNR P 1957 c. E.MCCORMICK 2,805,701

SEAT TRACK Original Filed Oct. 24, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 q & R W FOO\O F-"II HCHIII" V fil r IN VEN TOR. 67/424555 [*76602/7/6/ United StatesFatent SEAT TRACK Charles E. McCormick, Dearborn, Mich.

Original application October 24, 1946, Serial No. 705,390. Dzi'ided andthis application May 15, 1951, Serial No.

Claims. (CL 155-14) This invention relates to vehicle seats and moreparticularly to a track structure for adjustably supporting a vehicleseat.

It is anobject of the invention to provide an improved adjustablesupport or slide structure for a vehicle seat which can be manufacturedeconomically and which operates very smoothly with a minimum offriction.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision ofelectrically actuated locking means for an adjustable slide structurewhich functions smoothly and enables positioning of the seat with verylittle effort.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1' is a general perspective view of a seat supported in anautomobile body by the slide structure of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the adjustable sliding seat supports ofthis invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation and partial sectional view taken along lines3 -3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the adjustable support in anextreme position against stop.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of the adjustable supportshowing the slides in relative position for insertion of a large ball.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6-6 in- Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 7-7 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is the plan view of another embodiment of the adjustable supportof Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along lines 9-9 in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along lines 10-40 in Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along lines 11--11 in Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the hand operated lever shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 13 is a wiring diagram showing connections between electricsolenoids, battery, control buttons and door switches.

Referring to Fig. 1 there is shown a front seat 50 of an automobilewhich is mounted on front and rear supports 51 and 52, respectively,which are secured to track assemblies mounted on the under side of thefloor of the vehicle. The track assemblies enable movement of the seatto forward and rearward positions indicated by dotted lines 54 and 55with the supports 51 and 52 moving in slots 53 formed in the floorconstruction. It will be observed that seat 50 is illustrated as anonfoldable seat. The seat slide structure of this invention is,however, usable with both foldable and nonfoldable seats for supportingthe seat in a desired position of adjustment forwardly and rearwardly ofthe vehicle.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, there is shown one form of theadjustable sliding seat supportof my invention. The assembly comprises abottom track member ice adapted to be attached to the floor of theautomobile at holes 121, and a top movable track member 122 adapted tobe attached to the seat supports by screws through holes 123. Largeballs 124 and 125 are interposed between the two track members and rollin grooved raceways 126 in the top track and 127 in the bottom track. Asis best shown in Figure 6, the raceways are formed of planar rather thancurvilinear surfaces. It will be noted that by means of thisconstruction the balls make point contact with the raceways which allowsfor variations in manufacture of the parts.

The two track members are held in transverse relation by flanges 128 onthe top track Which interlock with flanges 129 on the bottom track andballs 130 which are interposed thcrebetween. These flanges are planarand parallel which allows the balls 130 to wander laterally, and makesfor easier manufacturing of the track member in contrast with the usualpractice of grooved cylindrical raceways where the ball must fitperfectly in a curved line contact. The small balls 130 are used ingroups of three and are held together by the retainer 131. Thisconstruction is desirable to distribute the great upwardly verticalstress occasioned when a passenger pushes rearwardly on the back of theseat or whenthe driver applies pressure to the brake pedal.

A locking plate 132 is welded to the top track 122, at the centralportion thereof and has a series of spaced locking holes 133 arrangedlongitudinally thereof. Longitudinal movement of the top track relativeto the bottom track is restricted by the flanged end 134 of the lockingplate which contacts ball 125 when the ball abuts against stop 135formed in the bottom track. A similar arrangement at the opposite end ofthe tracks limits the movement in the opposite direction. In additionthe locking plate 132 adds considerable strength to the top track memberby forming a closed cross section in the central portion of that member.

Stops 136 are formed in the bottom track and an equal number ofcorrespondingly spaced stops 137 are formed in the top track as shown inFig. 3. These stops obviate any possibility of the balls 130 falling outof their raceways.

As is shown in Fig. 5, the assembly of the two track members 120 and122, and the balls 124, 125 and 130 is accomplished by first moving thetrack members to the approximate relation shown and since there are noballs between them, suflicient clearance is provided between the flanges128 and 129 so that one group of three balls 130 may be inserted overthe stop 137 in the bottom track and adjacent to but not beyond step 136in the flange of the top track. In similar manner a second group ofthree balls 130 is inserted on the other side. Then large ball 125 ispushed up through hole 150 and up the inclined way 151 in the directionof the arrow, thereby raising the top track 122 and securing the smallballs 130 between the stops 136 and 137. The top track is then moved tothe extreme end position shown in Fig. 4 so that ball 125 is againststop 135. The operation is repeated for the opposite end of the assemblyand the balls are thus inserted. Set screws 152 are provided adjacentholes 150 to prevent the large balls from falling out of theirrespective raceways.

Mounted on the underside of the bottom track at the central portionthereof is a solenoid unit 145 which comprises an outer casing 139enclosing a coil 140 connected to the battery circuit by leads 141 and142. Within coil 140 there is retained a core 144 and a slidable plunger146 which projects through a guide bushing 147 and is adapted to engageany of a plurality of spaced holes 133 in locking plate 132. Theplunger'is urged 3 in an upward direction by a coil spring 148 whichabuts against flange 149 secured to the plunger.

When electric current flows through coil 140 a magnetic field is createdand moves the plunger downwardly out from the hole 133 thereby unlockingthe top track member 122. and allowing the seat to be moved in eitherdirection. When the electric current is interrupted, the coil 140 isdeenergized and the magnetic field is dissipated, and the plunger 146 ismoved by the spring 148 upwardly into engagement with any one of theholes 133 in registry with the plunger.

As shown in Fig. 1, the two sliding support assemblies are widelyseparated and each is provided with a solenoid unit 145. These twosolenoids are connected by wiring (not shown) to the car battery and to'a control button 170 preferably located on the instrument panel where itis easily accessible to the driver for adjustment of the seat forwardlyor rearwardly relative to the steering wheel and controls.

in seat slides as heretofore constructed, where it is necessary to lockboth remotely separated slides, this has been done with tie rods andbell cranks, the arrangement of which is usually complicated by thenecessity of clearing the tunnel in the center of the floor. Due tovariations in assembly, the locks on both sides do not always loci:positively and simultaneously, resulting in a dangerous condition. Inaddition, such an arrangement usually necessitates locating theoperating lever very low on the side of the seat where it is not readilyaccessible and requires groping to find. Location on the side of theseat necessitates clearance of approximately 2 inches between seat anddoor on both sides of the car and results in a loss of about 4 inches inseat width.

, In my construction where electro magnetic solenoids are used, lockingand unlocking of both sides is positive and simultaneous, and there isnothing to interfere with t e tunnel or other units near the floor ofthe car, and the control button may be located at any desirable place.

My seat slides are readily adaptable for use in moving the entire frontseat for entering or leaving a two door automobile. For thisapplication, it is desirable to add a button switch on both the rightand left hand upper corners of the seat as at 171 and 172, in Fig. 1 sothat either of, the buttons may be pressed and the seat moved with onehand. For safety reasons switches 171. and 172 should be inoperativewhen the car is moving. Accordingly, door switches 173 are provided andconnected in the electric circuit as shown in the wiring diagram in Fig.13.

As is shown by Fig. 13 the door switches 173 are open when the doors areclosed, and the button switches 171 and 172 on the back of the seat areinoperative and cannot be inadvertently operated by anyone. in the car.If either one or both of the doors are open, then one or both of thedoor switches 173 are closed, and the seat may be unlocked for moving bypressing either of the buttons 171 or 172. It will be noted that thedoor switches 173 have no effect on the drivers button 170 and he mayadjust the seat at any time regardless of whether the doors are open orclosed.

It will be realized, of course, that other structures incorporating asolenoid locking arrangement are possible. In Figs. 8 through 12 I haveshown a similar slide track structure which is provided with anotherform of solenoid locking means. In thisarrangement the lower track 120is provided with a downwardly disposed flange portion 159 to which thesolenoid unit 169 is secured. The plunger 161 of the solenoidis adaptedto engage a locking pawl 153 which is pivotally mounted oneach side ofthe lower track as at 154 in the same horizontal plane as the lockingplate 132. free end of the pawl 153 is adapted to engage any of holes133 in the locking plate and is biased to the locking position by aleaf-spring 157 which is secured to the lower track as at 156. i A pin162 at the upper end A locking pin 155on the of plunger 161 engages thetop face of pawl 153 and pivots the pawl downwardly to disengage lockingpin from its associated hole 133 when the solenoid is energized.

It will be observed that by pivoting the locking pawl 153 in thehorizontal plane of the locking plate 132, no moment arm is produced inthe pawl when the upper track is stressed in a longitudinal directionand consequently there is not chance for the pawl 153 to be movedinadvertently from the locked position. Pawl 153 may be provided with ahandle portion 158 which may be used to manually retract the locking pin155 if desired.

Thus it will be seen that the seat track of my invention together withthe electrically actuated locking means provide a convenient andreliable means for adjusting the seat forwardly or rearwardly to thedesired position. The tracks operate very smoothly with a minimum offriction and can be manufactured economically. 'The lockingarrangementis positive in its action and tends to eliminate sloppinessand movement of the seat in the locked condition.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.705,390, filed October 24, 1946, which application was abandoned infavor of continuing application Serial No. 277,231, filed March 18,1952, now Patent No. 2,672,923, dated March 23, 1954.

I claim:

1. In an adjustable seat support of the type having a pair ofinterengaged track members arranged for relative longitudinal movement,means for releasably locking said track members to prevent relativemovement thereof comprising spaced steps in one of said tracks, a yokedpawl .pivotally connected to both sides of the other track member, saidpawl being spring biased into engagement with said spaced steps, aplunger type solenoid arranged to actuate said pawl against the tensionof said spring, and means for energizing said solenoid and therebydisengage said pawl from said steps to permit" relative movement of saidtracks.

2. An adjustable support for vehicle seats comprising a pair ofinterengaged track members having antifriction rolling elementsinterposed therebetween to permit relative longitudinal movement of saidtracks, a locking plate secured to one of said tracks having spacedsteps therein along the axis of longitudinal movement, a locking pawlpivotally connected to each side of the other track on a transverse axiswhich intersects and lies in the same plane as the longitudinal axis .ofsaid steps, the free end of said pawl being adapted to releasably engagesaid steps in said plane and means for, pivoting said pawl into and outof engagement with said steps whereby forces tending to move one trackrelative to the other along said axis of longitudinal movement produceno resultant force tending to twist or move said free end of said pawlfrom engagement with said steps.

3. In an adjustable seat support, two generally channel-shapedinterengaged track members arranged for relative longitudinal movement,each of said tracks having a longitudinally grooved base cooperating toform a grooved raceway between said tracks, anti-friction rollingelements disposed in said grooved raceway, the two sides of each trackterminating in lateral flanges, the lateral flanges of one trackprojecting outwardly and disposed within and between inwardly projectingflanges on the other track to form two parallel flanged raceways, andanti-friction rolling elements interposed between each opposing set offlanges, said. grooved raceway being provided with steps at each end ofone track and stops in the central portion of the other track therebyforming two sectional grooved raceways with one or more rolling elementsin each section thereof, the base of, one track having a clearance holeadjacent, the inner end of each grooved section adapted for insertion ofsaid rolling elements, each of said flanged raceways being similarlyprovided with stops in each flange to form two sectional flangedraceways, whereby said tracks may be assembled by first inserting saidrolling elements in each of said flanged raceways and then insertingrolling elements through said clearance holes into each of said groovedraceways and thereby hold said track members in constant transverserelation and permit relative longitudinal movement limited by said stopsin said raceways.

4. In a vehicle adjustable support for the vehicle seat comprising apair of interengaged track members having antifriction rolling elementsinterposed therebetween to permit relative longitudinal movement of saidtrack members one 'of said tracks being fixed on a stationary support onthe vehicle and the other being secured to the vehicle seat so that theseat is adjustably movable on said vehicle support, means on saidmovable track forming a locking plate having a plurality of spaced stepstherein extending in the direction of longitudinal movemerit of saidseat, a locking pawl pivotally connected to the fixed track on an axiswhich intersects and lies in the same plane as the longitudinal axis ofsaid spaced steps, the free end of said pawl being adapted to swingupwardly to releasably engage said steps in said plane and means fixedon a stationary part of the vehicle for pivoting said pawl into and outof engagement with said steps.

5. The combination called for in claim 4 wherein said last mentionedmeans comprise an electro-magnet postioned below said pawl and having agenerally vertically movable armature member connected with said pawlintermediate the free end of said pawl and said pivotal connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,285,616 Saunders et a1. June 9, 1942 2,307,305 Sanders Jan. 5, 19432,417,523 Simpson Mar. 18, 1947 2,441,913 Taylor May 18, 1948 2,579,599Moroney Dec. 25, 1951 2,605,819 Le Tourneau Aug. 5, 1952 2,648,108 RapplJuly 20, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 438,083 Great Britain Nov. 11, 1935

